Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

The Minister did a fair bit of bluffing on the Oxford study on broadband roll-out, only mentioning the bits he liked. If he had read it thoroughly, he would have noted it stated that Ireland, although coming from a bad position to a better one, is still not a leader and would not be able to deliver television on-line and other such service access. Honesty from the Minister would not go astray when it comes to these issues of national importance.

I have an open mind on the allocation of the television licence fee. Will the Minister acknowledge that RTE is not the only organisation that provides public service broadcasting? "Tonight with Vincent Browne" is every bit as much a public service as "The Frontline", probably even more so. TV3 also provides news while radio stations such as Newstalk and other independent stations provide programmes equal to "Drivetime". The same applies to Matt Cooper's and Scott Williams's programmes. Newspapers, through webcasts on their websites, also contribute public service information on the same basis as RTE. On very many occasions, it is even better.

Will the Minister consider allowing other companies which provide public service broadcasting to bid for the television licence? I understand he wishes to protect the vested interests in this country, particularly in semi-State bodies. However, I do not understand why he would have such a closed mind to this proposal.

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